Bicycle-wheel



No. 624,4l9. Patented may 2', |899.'

l A .1. w. ARMSTRONG.

BICYCLE WHEEL.

(Application led Sept. 24, 1897.)

(N0 Model.)

VEHMA HAS' TMANEKS THE nonms Pneus ou, Hmoumm wAsmNcToN. u4 a UNITED(STATES rPATENT OFFICE.

JAMES W. ARMSTRONG, OF CHICAGQ'ILLlNOIS.

BICYCLE-WH EEL.v

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 624,419, dated May 2,1899.

Application filed September 24, 1897. Serial o. 652.804. (No model.) v"

T LZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES W. ARMSTRONG,

' a citizen of the United States, residing in Chicago, in the county ofCook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvementin Bicycle-Wheels, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in bicycle-wheels, and moreparticularly to the hubs and ball-bearings of such wheels.

In bicycle-wheel hubs heretofore in use the ball-bearings haveA beenlocated comparatively close together and generally directly under or inline with the sprocket-wheel and a considerable distance inside of theframe pieces orforks to which the axle is secured at each end, so thatthe full spread or distance between the frame-forks is not utilized indistributing the pressure between the two ballbearings and in preventingor reducing the prying or leverage action against one or the otherbearing as different strains are put upon the wheel in use. Thedurability and easy running of the wheel and its bearings are thusmaterially diminished.

The object of my invention is to provide a bicycle-wheel hub andball-bearin g construction inwhich the ball-bearings may be located muchfarther apart without increasing the spread or distance between theframe pieces or forks of the wheel that connect with the axle-in otherwords, bringing the ballbearings directly under or in line with saidframe pieces or forks, so that the prying, twisting, or leverage actionupon the ballbearings may be diminished to a minimum, and wherein alsothe sprocket-wheel may be located well between the two ball-bearin gsinstead of directly over one of them, and thus better distribute thepressure or strain due to the driving-chain between the two ballbearingsinstead of concentrating it entirely or chiey upon one of them.

My invention consists in the novel construction and in the novel.combinations of parts and devices by which I am enabled to secure theseimportant results or advantages,

. as will be hereinafter particularly described and explained inconnection 'with the accompanying drawings, which form a part ofthisspecification.

In the drawings, Figure l is a side elevation 0f a portionof abicycle-wheel frame to which my invention is applied. Fig. 2 is acentral longitudinal section through-the hub and ball-bearings, and Fig.3 is a detail sectional view of one end of the axle.

In the drawings, A represents a bicycleframe of any ordinary andsuitable construction and provided with the forks or pieces A forconnection with the axle of the rear wheel on either side. B is the hub;C, the axle; D, the ball-bearing cup; E,.the balls; F, the cones; G, thesprocket-wheel, and H cap or connecting pieces which connect the axle ateach end with the frame -forks or pieces A.

The hub B is provided with flanges b b for the attachment of the spokesof the wheel, with an annular shoulder b' adjacent to one of the flangesb for the sprocket-wheel G to abut against, with a screw-threadedenlargement b2 to receive the screw-threaded sprocketwheel, and with ascrew-threaded portion b3 to receive the j am-nut G', by which thesprocketwheel is locked in place.

The ball-bearing cups D fit inside the ends of the hub B and are rigidlysecured thereto by being forcibly driven therein, the cups D beingprovided with shoulders cl, bearing against the ends of the hub B, andwith beveled or conical faces d at their extreme ends to bear againstthe balls E.

The caps or connecting-pieces H are provided each with aninwardly-projecting hollow interiorly-threaded sleeve or thimble H' ltoreceive the screw-threaded end c of the axle C. The caps orconnecting-pieces H are further provided with an annular channel orrecess h to receive the ball-bearing cone F, which is in the form of anannulus fitting around the integral sleeve or thimble H on the cap orconnecting piece H. Each of the caps or connecting-pieces H is furtherprovided with an inwardly-projecting flange h', which fits over oraround the end of the cup D and the end of the hub B. Theintegrallyprojecting flange 71,' fits within the fork or frame piece A'of the frame and within the adjusting-washer K and is externallyscrewthreaded at h2 to receive the nut H2, by which the frame fork orpiece A' is locked or held in position on the cap or connecting piece H.The cap or connecting piece H, it will thus plane.

2 @mais be seen, is a thin disk which has a smooth outer face, so as togive a neat finish and appearance to the end of the hub, and isprovided'on its inner face with an inner fiang'e or sleeve H', by whichit is connected to the axle, and a large outer flange or annularprojection h', which projects through the framefork, while the annularchannel or chamber between the flanges H' and h serves to receive theballs and the cone or member F of the ball-race, while the extreme outerrim h3 of the thin disk-shaped cap or connecting piece H fits againstthe frame-fork A' on the outside and clamps the frame-fork betweenitself and the nut H2 which fits on the inside of the frame. By thisconstruction, as the fiange h on the cap piece which projects throughthe fork or frame A is external to the ball-chamber formed in thecap-piece, the axle is relieved' entirely of all strain tending to bendit or throw the wheel out of its true The ball-bearing cone D isprovided with an external annular recess d2 to receive the felt or otherdust-excluding washer d4.'

The cap, connecting-piece, or clamp H embraces the frame piece or forkA', on the outside thereof, and also fits directly within theframe-piece by reason of its integral flange h', while the nut orclamp-piece H2, threaded on said integral flange h' of the cap or clampH, embraces the frame-piece on the inside. The frame-piece is thus4directly and rigidly connected to the cap, connecting-piece, or clampH, While said cap or clamp itself is directly connected to the axle C byits integral internally-screw-threaded flange or sleeve H', and as onemember of the ball-race is formed in or carried by the cap H which fitsoutside the frame the ball-race is brought in line with the frame-pieceand at the extreme end of the hub, while the cap itself, fitting at the'extreme end of the hub and axle, gives a neat smooth finish and entirelyobviates the necessity of applying the frame-piece directly to the axleand of employing a clamp-nut on the outside of the frame-piece forclamping the frame-piece onto the axle.

The axle C is provided with a shoulder C' at one end for the end ofthevintegral sleeve or flange H' on the cap or connecting piece H toabut against, and at its opposite end the axle 'C is split. or providedwith a longitudinal slot C2 and is bored or screw-threaded to receivethe screw-threaded conical plug or wedge C3, by which the cap orconnecting piece H at this end is firmly looked in lplace on the axle.To make a neat finish and close the central openings in the cap orconnecting pieces H H, I provide the same with central screw-plugs H3H3.

By this construction and combination of parts and devices it will beseen that the ballbearings are separated from each other the fullVlength of the hub and each brought directly under or in line with thefork or frame piece A' of the bicycle-frame and that the sprocket-wheelGis located well between the vand to come partly on each.

ball-bearings, thus diminishingI to a minimum the chance for any prying,twisting, or leverage action Aupon either of the ball-bearings, and alsocausing the pressure exerted by the drive-chain or sprocket-wheel to bedistributed between the two ball-bearings The adjusting-washer K isprovided with the customary vscrew-threaded shank K', shoe K2, and nutKB,

I claim; p `1. In a bicycle, the combination with the wheel-hub, theaxle and the bicycle frame pieces or forks on each side of the wheel, ofa pair of ball-bearing cups secured inside the hub and having theirbeveled or ball-bearing faces at the extreme ends of the hub, a pair ofcaps or connecting-pieces provided with integral hollow,inwardly-projecting, screwthreaded sleeves or fianges secured to thethreaded ends of the axle, and a ball-bearing cone seated in each ofsaid caps or connectin g-pieces,said caps or connecting-pieces havingalso each an integral, inwardly-projecting, externally-screw-threadedflange surrounding the end of said ball-bearin g cup and hub and fittingwithin said frame forks or pieces, whereby the ball-bearings areseparated the full length of the hub and brought under or in line withsaid forks or framepieces, substantially as specified.

2. In a bicycle, the combination with a wheel-hub, the axle and thebicycle frame pieces or forks on each side of the wheel, of a pair ofball-bearing cups and a pair of ballbearing cones, one of said pairsbeing secured inside the hub and having their beveled or ball-bearingfaces at the extreme ends of the hub, a pair of caps orconnecting-pieces fitting outside of said frame-pieces and provided withintegral hollow, inwardly-projecting, screw-threaded sleeves or flangessecured to the threaded ends on the axle, the other pair of saidball-bearing cones or cups being seated in said caps orconnecting-pieces, said caps or connecting-pieces having also each -an'inwardly-projecting, -externallyscrew-threaded flange surrounding theend of said hub and of said ball-bearing cup orcone carried thereby andfittingwithin said frame` pieces and supporting the same, and clampnutsthreaded vthereon and fitting inside of said frame-pieces whereby theball-bearings are separated the full width of the frame, and asprocket-wheel secured to said hub between said ball-bearings,substantially as specified.

3. The combination in a bicycle, of a framepiece, a wheel, hub and axleand a diskshaped connecting-piece having an annular chamber on its innerface to receive the balls and one member of the ball-race, and having onsaid inner face an inwardly-projecting flange external to the balls andextending through the frame, said connecting-piece being secured to theaxle and fitting both within and outside of the frame-piece, and. towhich the frame-piece is clamped or secured inde- IOO IIO

pendent of the axle, said connecting-piece supporting part of theball-race, substantially as specified.

4. 'In a bicycle, the combination with the frameepiece, of a wheel-huband axle, a cap or clamp piece iitting Within and outside of theframe-piece and having a Screw-threaded sleeve engaging the axle, a nu-tfitting inside the frame-piece by which it is clamped to said cap orclamp piece, and a ball-race in line with the frame-piece and having oneof its members carried by the hub at the end thereof and its othermember carried by saidV capror clamp which connects the 'frame-piecewith the axle, substantially as specified.

5. The combination with a bicycle-Wheel hub, the axle and the frameforks or pieces,

Cil

of ball-bearing cups, cones and balls substantially in line With saidforks or framepieces and thin disk-shaped caps or connecting-pieces.having smooth `outer faces, and

provided on their inner faces each with anv and a sprocket-Wheel securedto said hub between said ball-bearings, substantially as specified. Y l

JAMES W. ARMSTRONG, Witnesses:

EDMUND ADCOCK, H. M. MUNDAY.

